NCAA

Oregon State vs USC Preview

The Oregon State Beavers travel to Los Angeles to take on the USC Trojans in a Pac-12 showdown on Saturday.

Oregon State is 3-0 SU and 1-2 ATS, while USC is 2-1 SU and ATS.

The Beavers have reached 3-0 thanks to a healthy offense and a stingy defense. The Trojans have been up and down, defeating the Stanford Cardinal 13-10, and then losing to Boston College 37-31.

Oregon State is led by Sean Mannion at quarterback. He has a completion rate of just under 70%. Last season however, he had 3 picks against USC when the Beavers lost 31-14.

Oregon State’s offense is averaging 301 yards passing per game.

USC had a bye week to stew over their loss to Boston College. Starting quarterback Cody Kessler had a great day versus BC with 317 passing yards and 4 touchdowns, but the running game for USC let the team down.

USC gave up 191 rushing yards to Boston College’s quarterback and is allowing 245 yards on the ground per game, while their passing defense is one of the best in the nation.

Keys to Oregon State Win

The Beavers must stop the passing game of USC. Oregon State must receive a solid game from Mannion at quarterback and establish a running game to open the passing lanes.

Keys to USC Win

USC must play better run defense otherwise Mannion will pick them apart when he decides to pass the ball. The USC offense must exploit the weak passing defense for Oregon State.

About David Campbell

David makes his home in Guatemala and follows the worlds greatest games from there. David contributes on all leagues across the world and had over 25 years experience. He has covered 10 World Cups and will do so again this year in Brazil.